I hope that you were able to get out and see as many events as possible. I hosted the last community showcase at Dr. Grins and it was a fantastic way to end the festival.

Fifteen semi-pro comics performed in front of a full house (including the cast of "Strawberry Shortcake Live" who performed earlier in the day) that couldn’t have been more pleased with the free show.

I saw a lot of great shows including Bill Burr, Shaq's All-Stars, and Fortune and Friends; participated in some shows such as The Dirty Show, The Blackout Diaries and The Homegrown Show; and hosted several events including The Mitch Hedberg Tribute, Community Showcases, The Best of the Midwest and a panel on the health benefits of laughter. I also saw a lot of new comics, old friends and met a lot of people in the community who came out to partake in LaughFest.

One thing in particular stood out for me: At every event I attended there were numerous people there wearing green, purple or blue shirts. These people helped with security, taking tickets, selling merchandise, driving the comedians around, setting up the venues, taking care of the sound system, etc. Anything that you could imagine that needed to be done was done by these volunteers.

That is what makes this festival so special to me. These people have taken the time out of their lives to benefit the festival, Gilda’s Club and Grand Rapids, Lowell and Holland. I hope that at some time during the fest you were able to say ‘thank you’ to them as the festival would not happen without their efforts. I look forward to working with them next year for the fourth Gilda's LaughFest.

I spoke to one volunteer, Ellen, about the reasons why she volunteers: